Wakiso Land Awareness Week
Theme: “Land Rights; A means to Economic Transformation and Social Justice”
July 22-26, 2019
The Uganda Consortium on Corporate Accountability (UCCA) and partners including the Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development (MLHUD), Action Aid International Uganda (AAU), The Initiative For Social and Economic Rights (ISER), Buganda Land Board (BLB), the Network for Public Interest Lawyers (NETPIL), CBS FM, Environmental Alert, Legal Aid Service Providers Network (LASPNET), Trac F.M, Uganda Land Alliance, Wakiso District Local Government, Transparency International Uganda and Institution of Surveyors of Uganda partnered to hold the Wakiso Land Awareness Week. The weeklong engagements included Local Government leaders stakeholder meeting, community sensitization engagements, mobile legal aid clinics on land rights, title verification, radio and Television talk shows, sensitization on the roles of surveyors and display of the register of surveyors. The Land awareness week was intended to interrogate various critical issues around land ownership, interest, rights and acquisition and to increase peoples capacity to advocate for their interests in Land.
Below are highlights from the week long community engagements
The Wakiso Land Awareness Week 2019 Organisers Banner
KEY ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED
During the weeklong community engagements, various issues were raised including the issue of Busuulu, Absente Land lords, Land lord-tenant conflicts, boundary demarcation disputes and unqualified surveyors. Other rampant issues included challenges in land Administration and fraud in land offices by some officials and impersonators, high levels of illiteracy around land management and transfer and limited understanding of the operation and scope of powers of Attorney and Letters of Administration. Also to note were increasing cases of fraudulent land titles and illegal, forced and unlawful evictions—largely triggered by large scale business interests.
Launch of the Wakiso Land Awareness Week: Group photos of the Organisers of the Wakiso Land Awareness week with Hon Matia Lwanga Bwanika, the L.C.5 Chairperson of Wakiso District.
UCCA Officer; Mr. Lutalo Derrick attending to an elderly woman at a community sensitization session in Kikokilo.
A photo of some of the participants at the community sensitization session in Kikokilo- Gombolola
Another photo showing some of the participants at Kikokkilo-Gombolola.
A photo of some of the Participants at Kikokilo-Gombolola.
His Worship Saisi Barigye the Magistrate Grade 1 of the Kisangati court advising one of the elderly women during the Kasangati community sensitization session.
From Left to Right, Mr. Gambobi Moses from Buganda Land Board and Mr. Derrick Lutalo from UCCA sensitizing the community members at Kasanje on how to protect their interests in Land on Day 3 of the Land Awareness week.
Mr. John Mwebe from UCCA breaking down the rights and responsibilities of Land lords and tenants and how the two can peacefully co-exist. This was in Masuulita in Waksio District on day 4 of the Wakiso Land Awareness week.
Mr. John Mwebe from UCCA emphasizing the relevance of mediation in solving land related disputes in Masuliita.
The team of Local council leaders in Nabweru addressing their people and raising some of the land related cases that they were faced with as leaders.
MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS
The team also organized a number of media engagements on both radio and television intended to reach more communities that were unable to attend the daily community sensitization sessions.
From left to right; Mr. Denis Obbo the PRO of Ministry of LANDS Housing and Urban Development Mr. Derrick Lutalo the Project Officer of UCCA and Mr. Gambobi from Buganda Land Board appearing for a radio talk show on CBS.
From right to left Mr. Derrick Lutalo from UCCA followed by Mr. John Mary Kirahibwe from the Network of Public Interest Lawyers (NETPIL) with the host speaking about the Land Awareness Week on July 22, 2019.
LEGAL AID CLINICS
Several Legal Aid Clinics were also conducted. On spot legal advice and guidance was extended to community participants and those cases that required for follow up were identified and referred to the team of Lawyers from the Network of Public Interest Lawyers (NETPIL)and Legal Aid Service providers Network (LASPNET) for further management.
A team of Lawyers and Advocates delivering Legal aid to one of the elderly ladies that turned up for the Land Awareness week in Masuliita.
One of the Lawyers under LASPNET offering on spot Legal advice to a client.
Kenneth Kiapi(Extreme right) an Intern at the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER) interviewing clients with a team of LASPNET lawyers during the legal Aid clinics.
A team from the Ministry of Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban development conducting title verification exercises for the participants during the Land Awareness Week. This exercise was carried during the entire week where people were helped to conduct searches on their Land for free while other got the chance to verify the real Landlord to whom to give the busuulu.
THE BAND PROCESSION
The Land Awareness week commenced with a procession led by the Band from Wakiso District headquarters to Kikokilo on Monday July 22, 2019 and on the final day on Friday July 26, 2019, where the band led the procession from Gombolola offices in Nansana to Nabweru at the Gobolal offices.
The team having a procession with the band on the last day of the Land Awareness Week.
Ms. Belinda Cheptoek Patience an intern with UCCA holding the banner during the band procession on day one of the land Awareness week.
Ms. Jennipher Achaloi from Action Aid speaking about what prompted the Organisers to conducted the Wakiso District Land Awareness Week and the prominent land related issues found.